Moraine Valley President Announces Retirement
A top official at Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC) in southwest suburban Palos Hills will be retiring next year.
Dr. Vernon O. Crawley, the colleges president announced last month that he will be retiring on June 30.
Crawley has led the community college since 1991 and is proud of the accomplishments the school has made over the years.
For the last two decades, student achievement has been Crawleys main focus.
My 21-year journey has been exciting, challenging and rewarding... my time at Moraine Valley [has been] a memorable experience, Crawley stated in a press release.
MVCC is a Vanguard College of Learning and is one of 12 community colleges in the U.S. and Canada to receive the distinguished title, which signifies that the school places learning first and provides educational experiences for learners anyway, anyplace, anytime.
Our promise to students is that we will provide a student-centered environment and to focus all college staff and resources on student learning, student development, and student success, Crawley said in the release.
In 2006, an $89 million bond referendum led to a campus expansion. Several buildings were created as part of the development including the student union which opened in Mar. 2009.The student services center opened after an extensive renovation in Jan. 2010. Additionally, the Dr. Vernon O. Crawley Science Hall and the Moraine Business and Conference Center opened infall 2009.
During Crawleys tenure, the college has received state, federal and private grants to help prepare students to be successful at the college level and to help retrain workers who have lost their jobs. I also have been pleased that we have been able through partnerships to reach out to help our 26 communities with their educational and training needs, he said.
Also during his tenure, Crawley received numerous awards including the Marie Y. Martin Chief Executive Officer of the Year by the Association of Community College Trustees in 2009.
Crawley was also active in developing MVCCs Blue Island education center in 2004.
Furthermore, the colleges enrollment has risen 30 percent under the Crawley Administration. MVCC ranks second in enrollment among the 48 community colleges in Illinois.
Joseph Murphy, chairman of MVCCs Board of Trustees expressed his regards for Crawleys impending retirement.
The institution will have to go on and go on at the highest quality he establishedthe highest quality in education and in operations. President Crawley was not only smart with academic initiatives and programs but also smart with financial matters. He finds ways to get the most out of everything the college does without always having the necessary resources to do so, said Murphy.
by Thelma Sardin
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